liamsaunt

I heard back from Purple Carrot and got an apology and a refund. I'm still not sure what happened, but I suspect that my usual FedEx driver is on vacation and the box went to one of my neighbors houses. Of course, now I have to go food shopping. Luckily I have the day off for a doctor's appointment so it's not as much of an inconvenience as it normally would be.

Last post for this visit. We did not get to Pop + Dutch @weinoo but I'll be back for 10 days next month so I'll go then. Our last dinner was at Mews. Seafood sampler swordfish special. The light was really dim so hard to take photos. Other things ordered were lobster vindaloo and a lobster-sea scallop dish Sunset Monday we went to Winslows Tavern in Wellfleet on the way home and tried most of their new dishes for this season. Curried mussels Grilled littlenecks Peri peri chicken sandwich Lobster panino See you here next month

Well, here is the latest snafu with my Purple Carrot TB12 meal kit. I came home from work and there was no box! According to FedEx tracking it was delivered to the front door this morning. I suppose someone could have taken it, but I am skeptical. My house is on a cul de sac that is not off a main road and my driveway is so long that you can't even see the house from the street. It's pretty unlikely that someone looking to steal packages would have ventured up here. I have an email in to Purple Carrot and we will see what they say. So much for tonight's planned meal of kung pao noodles with charred pineapple. Luckily, I have scallops in the fridge that I was planning to add to the meal, so I will just make scallop rolls.

The completed bookcase. I now have lots of room for more cookbooks!

So yesterday for dinner we returned to Local 186. I don't normally repeat restaurants, but my brother and his girlfriend joined us and they both have extremely limited palates, so burgers work for them. Drinks Littlenecks Hot dog (brother's meal) Classic burger with bacon and cheddar Surf and turf burger Tuna burger No photo of brother's girlfriend's plain burger. Some sunset photos from last night Today we had lunch at Mac's Fish House. Drinks Steamed buns filled with fried oysters Lobster roll Swordfish reuben Panama red roll Rangoon roll

We are in Provincetown now, so I will stop in this weekend. We arrived in Provincetown pretty late last night and were starving, so burgers were in order. We went to Local 186. Drinks Guacamole Burger with foie gras Turkey burger with rosemary aioli and cartelized onions Turkey burger with cheddar, cartelized onions and bacon

And now I shall report on what might be one of the most disgusting things I have had the misfortune to put into my mouth--the last TB12 meal from this week's Purple Carrot box. Pizza bianca--a crust made from mung beans and garbanzo flour topped with vegan mozzarella and a salad of shaved asparagus and watercress with a balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was lovely. The "pizza crust," however, was vile. It was chewy and pasty and gluey and had nothing at all to recommend it. After one bite I scraped the salad off the "crust" and tossed it in the trash. We ate the salad with some scrambled eggs. That's it for me with experiments with gluten free substitutes for bread. Luckily next week's box is "bread" free

Dinner the other night: panko crusted fluke with cilantro lime aioli, mixed veggie slaw and rosemary fries

Last night's Purple Carrot TB12 meal was summer rolls with minted edamame and cashew sambal. The other filling ingredients were red bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, and basil. It was easy to make and the flavors were good, but the substitution of quinoa for rice noodles (I am guessing to up the protein content) combined with the crumbly texture of the chopped edamame-mint mix made for messy eating when dipped into the sauce. I used the leftover filling (there was tons left over) to make two good sized salads for lunch for me and for my husband to take to work today. Overall the salad was a lot easier to eat! Rolls Salad

Last night we had dinner at Blackfish in Truro. Cocktails My husband and I shared an appetizer of seared scallops with parmesan fonduta and then we both ordered the dish this restaurant is known for: tuna bolognese. So delicious! My nephew had a burger with gorgonzola cheese and allergy-friendly house fried chips We let him order two desserts, just because. Bread pudding with bourbon-bacon jam and vanilla ice cream pineapple upside down cake with coconut ice cream This morning we stopped at the Fairway in Eastham for breakfast on our way off the Cape. Husband had an egg sandwich which I forgot to photograph. I had the potato pancakes with poached eggs, bacon and toast Nephew had the blueberry pancakes That's it until the end of the week, when I head to Provincetown.

yesterday we went to a late lunch/early dinner at The Beachcomber. Margarita and a Goombay Smash My niece just wanted mozzarella sticks The Beachcomber has a separate fryer for their french fries, so my nephew ordered a basket along with a jalepeno-onion pizza on a Boboli crust. The things teenagers will eat... The adults all had seafood. Steamers to share Fried clams to share Then two adults went for the fishwich And three adults chose the oyster po boy--it was huge! Most people went home last night, so it's just me, my husband, and my nephew out on the Cape now. We went to the Wicked Oyster for breakfast this morning. Tall stack of pancakes with real maple syrup The Nester--eggs with hollandaise on arugula and tomatoes, with home fries Smoked salmon bagel plate

Last night we had dinner at an old favorite, Mac's Shack. We went out with my whole group, so lots of meals to share. A couple of cocktails, on the left is a Mrs. Mia Wallace (Farmer's Gin, Aperol, lemongrass, lemon, soda), on the right a Nesky (Patron Silver, Grand Marnier, sour, lime, extra salt): Wellfleet oysters Clam fritters with Old Bay aioli Rite cracker crusted bluefish Grilled swordfish with roasted vegetables and rice Black bean-quinoa burger for my nephew who won't eat fish unless it is fried, and he can't eat anything fried at this restaurant since they only have one frier and he has an anaphylactic allergy to crustaceans Udon noodle bowl with raw fish Lobster enchiladas Cheesecake

Yesterday for breakfast we went back to the Captain's Table. Roasted jalepeno omelet and then it was goodbye to Chatham and hello to Wellfleet. Here's the view from the house we are staying in No lunch yesterday, because my husband and I were going to dinner at my favorite restaurant on all of Cape Cod: Ceraldi. https://www.ceraldicapecod.com Everyone eats the same meal at this restaurant--when you make your reservation they ask for any allergies or preferences, and they will tailor the menu to fit your needs. I always say that I prefer a pescatarian meal. My husband eats anything. First course: Loagy Bay petite oyster, garden arugula pesto. Paired with 2005 Domain Haut Bourg Muscadet de Grandlieu 'Origine' Second course: Wild one year pickled lotus tempura, poppy seed, invasive green crab brodo, In the Weeds farm greens. Paired with 2014 Leduc Frouin Anjou Blanc Third course: Longnook Meadow Farm panisse, speck crisp, spiced walnuts, Great Hill Farm Blue buttermilk dressing. Paired with 2012 Agricola Querciabella Batar IGT (my salad had pickled onions subbed for the speck) Fourth course: Seawind Meadow Farm meatball, Parmigiana Reggiano fonduta, balsamico, truffle potato stick (my course was beet ravioli instead of the meatball) Fifth course: Chequesett Chocolate risotto, Hillside Farm mushrooms, rosemary, matsutake ricotta creme, cacao nib. Paired with 2014 Cantine Aston Grangnano DOP Sixth course: Donna Marie Boat scallop, saffron burst allium ash ravioli, chive blossom, garlic chive and wild seabean chimichurri. Paired with 2006 Radikon Ribolla Gialla IGT Final course: Capri Farm goat cheese panna cotta, Back Yard Garden rhubarb, Surrey Farm honey and pink pepper pistachio. Paired with NV Cremant de Loire Rose Methode Traditionnelle What a delicious dinner this was for a special occasion (our 20th wedding anniversary)

Weather was better this morning Breakfast was takeout from Chatham Cookware. Strange name and I am sure there is a backstory but I don't know it. Egg bacon and cheese sandwich on a Portuguese roll, with an iced tea (unsweetened, lemon) Lunch at the Impudent Oyster. Husband and I ordered sandwiches and split them to share. Shrimp po boy Scallop roll Aside: I want this house. I walk by it every day on my trek into town (I can't afford it!) Dinner at Del Mar Bistro Oysters with uni butter oysters rockefeller flounder with crab and (totally out of season??) corn halibut with celeriac puree

More Chatham dining. Breakfast at the Captain's Table. We were the only people in the restaurant other than staff so I left my camera in my bag and used my phone. This is still slow time on the Cape and it is rainy to boot. Omelet with bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese Cinnamon raisin bread pudding with blueberry sauce Lunch at the Chatham Squire. Lobster roll with lobster bisque the blue plate special: fried shrimp Dinner at Bistro on Main. I forgot my camera so excuse the phone pics again. Smoked fish dip: Local mussels in garlic-white wine sauce Linguini with clams Scallops with vegetables and potato cake

Another season, more Cape Cod food. I am currently in Chatham for work, but will be in Wellfleet soon (not soon enough). Next weekend I will be in Provincetown, and then back in Wellfleet for the 4th of July week and again in October for Oysterfest. A return to the Impudent Oyster. Salt cod "tater tots" Shrimp with garlic and chiles "Low country grits" with shrimp and scallops and roasted tomatoes and an okra which I ate. I have never eaten okra before. This pickled one was pretty fine. I shall leave no comments regarding the grits. pasta with shrimp, scallops, lobster, broccoli, etc

@patris, that is so annoying. I am glad you got a credit, but it is so irritating if you are trying to avoid a trip to the store. That's the whole point of these things. @Anna N sorry the delivery schedule did not work out for you. Based on our admittedly small group of people posting about meal kits, it seems that "deflect and credit" is the customer service go to way of dealing with issues. I think I am starting to get bored with the meal kit thing. I changed two of the three meals enough that I posted them in Dinner! instead of here. Tonight I cooked the final meal for this week according to the recipe (sort of): red lentil puttanesca with rotini and marinated vegetables. The ingredients (I forgot the recipe card, sorry): I actually randomly had a broccoflower in the fridge thanks to a meal that did not happen over the weekend, so bulked out that sad little piece with part of mine. Completed dish: Verdict: this is not puttanesca in my world. I added more red pepper flakes and salt, but for me, puttanesca means anchovies and lots and lots of olives, red pepper flakes, garlic and tomatoes. Lentils just make sauce gritty and are frankly no substitute for tomatoes. Grumble. And there is so much leftover! Argh. I already cancelled next week's box. I am not giving up, just traveling. I'll post my Cape Cod eats on the New England board.

Last night: Faroe Island salmon with red rice, guacamole, sautéed plantains, and a poblano-chipotle-tomato salsa

@liuzhou, it's the thought that counts? I guess? That steak looks pretty grim. Glad you were able to find a noodle stand after. Last night, flounder reuben and garlic-dill oven fries

flounder stuffed with mushrooms, local asparagus, and crispy potatoes

Ooh that is disappointing. I have to confess that I am worried about this as summer approaches. If I start getting wilted produce I am going to pause for the season. I travel a lot in the summer so that may end up happening anyway. I agree with @patris, you probably got bumped to a different delivery box schedule and will be charged again as the delivery date gets closer. Last night's meal was for a savory grain bowl primavera with swiss chard and green garlic butter beans. The grain provided was oats, and the idea of a savory oat bowl for dinner did not appeal to me, so I swapped the oats for quinoa and made the oats into overnight oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. This was perfectly fine but not exciting either.

According the recipe card, tonight's meal was to be Korean jackfruit bibimbap with spicy kale kimchi, garlic-sesame spinach, and carrot-edamame slaw. Here are the ingredients. I remembered them all for the picture tonight! Well, I had some other stuff in the fridge I wanted to use, and a family member eating with us off schedule, so I added some stuff to bulk it out. I had some acadian redfish from my fish share to use up, and I also added a Tom Brady-disapproved fried egg. I also swapped out the included brown rice for white rice because my husband prefers white. I like brown rice, so will just cook it up sometime when he is traveling for work. This is my brother in law's plate. He eats a lot, but is very fit as he works out intensively. Unlike me!

Another week, another TB12 Purple Carrot box. All of the produce was in excellent shape this week. Last night I made green falafel with celery-pomegranate relish, pickled cabbage, and tahini. The ingredients (minus the head of lettuce that was provided to wrap the falafel in--I always forget something in the ingredient photos!) And the finished dish. The ratio of kale to chickpeas was rather high, so the falafels fell apart a little in the pan, but the flavor was good.

@patris that looks really tasty! Last night I made the last TB12 Purple Carrot meal of the week. I saved it for Friday night because my niece wanted to eat it and my husband was on a plane home from Italy so I knew there would be enough for my sister, my niece and me. My nephew had chicken parmesan :-) Vegetable pad thai with kelp noodle salad and sesame roasted broccoli. I plonked the sambal on top of my bowl and my sister's bowl rather than putting it in the sauce since my niece is sensitive to spicy foods. We all loved this, and there is TONS left over for lunches on Monday.

I got an email this morning that they are crediting me for the full retail value of this week's box due to my dismay at some of the produce quality in this shipment, so I am satisfied with that resolution. Tonight I made yellow beet posole with salsa verde (additional beet obtained on my lunch walk since they only sent me one small beet in the shipment). The stew used both hominy and amaranth to thicken it. There are plenty of leftovers for lunches. My main objectives in using this service are to 1. give me interesting ideas for vegan meals that I can pull off quickly during the week after getting home from work pretty late and 2. cut down on mid-week food waste. I am actually saving money, and am definitely throwing out less food, but I am very aware that my situation is different from most folks in that I feed more people Friday-Sunday than I do Monday-Thursday. I have basically eliminated shopping for weekdays completely (well, except for that beet today haha), and now just shop for the weekends. However, once the local summer produce starts coming in, I will pause this service for a while to take advantage of that.